Huawei Mate 8 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 5
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Huawei Mate 8 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Huawei Mate 8 | Samsung Galaxy Note 5 |
|---|
| Our rating | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh | 3,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 18W | — |
| RAM (max) | 4 GB | — |
| Storage (max) | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| Screen size | 6 in | 5.7 in |
| Main camera | 16 MP | 16 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 185 g | 171 g |
| Released | Nov 2015 | Aug 2015 |
Summary: Huawei Mate 8 is ahead on battery, screen size. Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is ahead on weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Huawei Mate 8 is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Huawei Mate 8 | Samsung Galaxy Note 5 |
|---|
| Type | IPS-NEO LCD | Super AMOLED |
| Size | 6.0 inches | 5.7 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 1920 pixels (Full HD) | 1440 x 2560 pixels |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 4 | Corning Gorilla Glass 4 |
| Screen-to-body ratio | Approximately 83% | — |
| Pixel Density | — | ~518 ppi |
Platform
| Huawei Mate 8 | Samsung Galaxy Note 5 |
|---|
| OS | Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), upgradable to 7.0 (Nougat), EMUI 4.0 | — |
| Chipset | HiSilicon Kirin 950 (16 nm) | Exynos 7 Octa 7420 (14 nm) |
| CPU | Octa-core (4x2.3 GHz Cortex-A72 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A53) | Octa-core (4x2.1 GHz Cortex-A57 & 4x1.5 GHz Cortex-A53) |
| GPU | Mali-T880 MP4 | Mali-T760MP8 |
Memory
| Huawei Mate 8 | Samsung Galaxy Note 5 |
|---|
| Internal | 32GB 3GB RAM, 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM | — |
| Card slot | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) | No |
| RAM | — | 4GB LPDDR4 |
| Internal Storage | — | 32GB, 64GB (128GB in some regions) |
Main Camera
| Huawei Mate 8 | Samsung Galaxy Note 5 |
|---|
| Single | 16 MP, f/2.0, 1/2.8", PDAF, OIS | 16 MP, f/1.9, 28mm (wide), OIS, AF |
| Features | Dual-tone LED flash, panorama, HDR | LED flash, panorama, HDR |
| Video | 1080p@60fps, 720p@120fps | 4K@30fps, 1080p@60fps, OIS, dual-video rec. |
Selfie Camera
| Huawei Mate 8 | Samsung Galaxy Note 5 |
|---|
| Single | 8 MP, f/2.4 | 5 MP, f/1.9, 22mm (wide) |
| Video | 1080p | 1440p@30fps |
| Features | — | Dual video call, Auto HDR |
Battery
| Huawei Mate 8 | Samsung Galaxy Note 5 |
|---|
| Type | Li-Po 4000 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 3000 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | Fast charging (18W) | — |
Body
| Huawei Mate 8 | Samsung Galaxy Note 5 |
|---|
| Dimensions | 157.1 x 80.6 x 7.9 mm | 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm (6.03 x 3.00 x 0.30 in) |
| Weight | 185 g | 171 g (6.03 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 4), aluminum back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 4), glass back (Gorilla Glass 4), aluminum frame |
| Colors | Champagne Gold, Moonlight Silver, Space Gray, Mocha Brown | — |
| SIM | — | Nano-SIM |
| Stylus | — | S Pen |
Comms
| Huawei Mate 8 | Samsung Galaxy Note 5 |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 4.2, A2DP, EDR, LE | 4.2, A2DP, LE, aptX |
| Positioning | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS | — |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | microUSB 2.0, USB On-The-Go |
| GPS | — | GPS, GLONASS, BDS |
| Radio | — | No |
Launch
| Huawei Mate 8 | Samsung Galaxy Note 5 |
|---|
| Announced | November 2015 | August 13, 2015 |
| Status | Available. Released January 2016 | Released August 21, 2015 |
| OS | — | Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop), upgradable to 7.0 (Nougat) |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Huawei Mate 8 or Samsung Galaxy Note 5?
Huawei Mate 8 — 4,000 mAh for the Huawei Mate 8 versus 3,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
Which is lighter, Huawei Mate 8 or Samsung Galaxy Note 5?
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 — 185 g for the Huawei Mate 8 versus 171 g for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
Which is newer, Huawei Mate 8 or Samsung Galaxy Note 5?
Huawei Mate 8 — Nov 2015 for the Huawei Mate 8 versus Aug 2015 for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
Is the Huawei Mate 8 or the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 rated higher?
We rate the Huawei Mate 8 7/10 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 7/10.
Best phone lists →
